Breaking Trust
by Sharptooth
Summary: AU. Harry has an issue with the way that Hermione has been treating him, and he decides to show her in no uncertain terms. It leads to so much more. Set in HBP. HP/HG
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** I do not own anything other than the story line . All rights belong to J.K. Rowling

**Breaking Trust**

She woke up to the feeling of a paw batting the side of her face. For a few moments she had no idea where she was, and then it struck her, she was in her dormitory and Crookshanks was pawing at her. "What is it?" she murmured.

Crookshanks sat back on his haunches, obviously pleased with himself at having woken her. As she looked at him she saw that he had a rolled up piece of parchment in his mouth. He promptly dropped it on her lap. She unrolled it and reached for her wand with her other hand. "_Lumos_," she whispered. A small light burst from her wand, illuminating the letter that was addressed to her.

_Hermione,_

_If our friendship means anything to you anymore, please meet me in the room of requirement. _

_Awaiting your arrival,_

_Harry_

She was momentarily confused. Why would Harry word things that way. She decided immediately to see what he wanted. Getting up and wrapping a night robe around her, she snuck out of her dormitory, Crookshanks hot on her heels.

Moments later she was entering into the room of requirements. It was set up very similar to the Gryffindor common room. She could see Harry sitting on a couch, looking into a crackling fire. The biggest difference with this room however, was that a pensieve was sitting next to him.

"Harry?" she asked softly."

"Why, Hermione?" he replied without turning around. She didn't understand the question and hesitated before answering. Before she could respond he continued. "Why do you hate me?"

"What are you talking about Harry?" she asked in a scared voice.

"I can't take anymore of this, Hermione. You're my best friend, and you've hurt me, badly." He turned to look at her, pain etched clearly upon his face. "You need to see; you need to understand." He motioned to the pensieve. "It's already set up. I warn you though, this pensieve is a little different." At her look he continued. "If our friendship means anything, if _I_ mean anything to you, please Hermione…"

Sighing to herself she walked over and leaned into the pensieve. She felt herself being drawn into the memories that were enclosed within. She found herself in the hospital wing. The odd part was that she wasn't next to Harry. She was Harry! She watched him through his own eyes as he made his way over to a bed where she lay petrified. She felt his anguish as he sat next to her, holding her hand; wishing more than anything that he could take this away, that he could trade places with her so that she didn't have to endure this. She felt his silent vow to do anything he could to ensure that she never suffered anything like this again.

The scene swirled then, changing to another time, another place. She found Harry riding on Buckbeak, her soft arms wrapped around him as they sped through the skies to rescue Sirius. She felt the thrill running through him, she felt the _frisson_ of pleasure course through him as she snuggled up next to him.

Another swirl and Harry was at King's Cross station and Hermione was kissing his cheek. She couldn't believe the burst of pure, intense pleasure that coursed through him as that happened. He felt something he had never felt before, and it confused him and pleased him at the same time.

Once again the scene changed and Harry was sitting in the common room and she was explaining to him how Cho must have felt as she kissed him. He was confused over this, as it seemed that Hermione was encouraging him to pursue a relationship with Cho. Why would she do this? This seemed to be the first time he had ever felt even a slight betrayal from her. A pain like a knife shot through him as he considered things.

Then he was in Madam Puddifoots in Hogsmeade, and Cho was yelling at him to go to his meeting with his 'Precious Hermione.' A warm feeling flowed through him as a realized that he had indeed made his choice between the two girls.

He was in the Department of Mysteries and he watched Dolohov strike down Hermione. His entire world crashed. He couldn't breathe, he couldn't move. Hermione was gone, and he it was his fault! This was pain such as he had never known. His mind flashed to being struck down by Voldemort's cruciatis curse, and he realized that he would happily endure that pain compared to this. As he steeled himself to go out in a blaze of glory that would avenge her death Neville informed him that she was still alive! It was all he could do not to throw himself on her and weep with joy!

Now he was watching Dumbledore dueling Voldemort, and then Voldemort was inside him, filling him with pain and all he wanted was to die. Thoughts of his friends and Sirius flashed through him and he regretted not being able to do more for them. Then he saw Hermione's face and he was filled with a feeling of warmth and joy at her smile. He thought his heart would burst with the depth of emotion that was filling him and then Voldemort was gone. He collapsed as the tension left him.

He was at the Burrow, and he was filled with dread. He was fated to become a murderer and he was telling his best friends about it. He was sure that they would spurn him. He had to tell them, but he was so afraid. He had thought that he had lost Hermione before, and had gotten her back. Now he was sure that he was going to lose her again. His thrill when she didn't reject him threatened to overwhelm him.

He was coming out of potions class and looked at the small vial in his hand. He had finally found a way to succeed in that class now that he didn't have to fear and loathe the teacher and maybe, just maybe he could learn something in there this year. He had to tell Hermione how it had happened though, he couldn't stand the look she had on her face when he had won the bottle, though he was happy that he had kept it out of Malfoy's hands.

Hermione had just accused him of cheating! Bad enough that she had kept rejecting his thoughts on Malfoy for the last few weeks. He didn't understand why she was acting like this. He had offered to share things with her. He didn't want her mad at him. He glanced over at her and Ron, huddled together and a moment of clarity came upon him. She liked Ron, not him. He turned and fled lest she see the tears that came unbidden upon him. He resolved to do anything he could to ensure her happiness, even if it wasn't with him.

She watched through his eyes as she cast him dirty looks and tutted with disapproval time after time. Every one was a knife wound to him. She watched him silently suffer with her as she went through the hurt of Ron's discovery of Lavender. She went along with him as he realized that he had lost her forever, and felt the life drain out of him.

She came up out of the pensieve and looked at him. She had done this to him, and she had never realized it. He, Harry, was in so much pain; he was suffering so much loss because she had spurned him.

"Why?" he asked, the pain evident in his voice. "Why don't you like me anymore? What did I do to drive you away? I'm so sorry that you got hurt last year! I don't know what to do to make it better, Hermione! Merlin, 'Mione! I have no idea what to do! I miss you so much!" He collapsed onto the couch and could hide it no more. The tears streamed down his face. He looked at her in anguish. "I want my best friend back," he whispered.

And then she was there next to him. She tenderly took his face in her hands and her thumbs were wiping the tears from his face. She looked into his eyes, chocolate brown meeting deep wells of green.

"I'm rubbish at this," he whispered. "I understand that you don't feel the same way Hermione; I understand that you want Ron, but I…" he faltered momentarily. "I guess that I love you. I mean I think that I do… I've never known what it is to love… I hope you can find a place for me in your life. I can't lose you Hermione… Please don't let me slide out of your life… I'll take any little part I can have, please…" He looked away then, not able to bear anymore rejection.

Hermione gently turned his chin back towards her. She could see in his eyes that he was completely broken. She had done this to him. She had reduced him to this. She realized that to him she was his entire world, and she had unknowingly thrown that away. She realized that only she could fix this.

She slowly leaned down and brushed her lips across his. She hoped that he wouldn't reject this last ditch effort to show him how much he too meant to her. She had never put herself out on a limb this far before. She had never allowed herself to be so vulnerable, but this man sitting trembling before her had placed himself much farther out than even she was at this minute; and he had done so for her.

She felt him stiffen under her and her heart plunged! Then he relaxed and she felt his arms come up around her. She felt his hands on her back and in her hair, and then he was kissing her back! She melted into his embrace and practically purred into his mouth.

How long they stayed like this neither one knew. Finally, they drew back from each other. Hermione gazed into his eyes and saw everything that she hoped for there for her to see. "Can you forgive me?" she asked.

"Anything for you, Hermione," he replied.

"Harry, I was stupid. I never considered that you didn't have a clue how to express yourself. I should have realized, given how you were raised. I've loved you for so long, but you never seemed interested in me in that way. I had given up hope, and I guess that I was trying to distance myself because I wanted to get on with my life, and having you there hurt too much. You mean so much to me. I've loved you since first year, Harry. I've known it for a long time. I just contented myself with being your friend because you never seemed to want any more than that. Now that I know I'll never leave you again."

"Hermione, I swear to you that after this is all over, I'll never leave you again. I'll be with you for the rest of our lives. Now that I know you love me too I will beat that bastard, and I will live my life with you."

"Harry, what are you saying?"

"Hermione, when this is over with, will you marry me?"

"Harry, I'd marry you right now if that's what you wanted. I want to be with you in every way, I want to give you everything that you need to defeat him, and to be mine forever. I will be there with you, side by side, all the way to the end." She gazed into his eyes and lost herself in them.

He grabbed her hand. "Come on," he said, dragging her out the door. Before she knew it they were in front of the gargoyle guarding the Headmaster's office. There seemed to be a contest of wills between Harry and the gargoyle, and then the gargoyle was moving aside. They rushed up the stairs.

Not surprisingly they found Dumbledore waiting for them, sitting at his desk enjoying a hot chocolate. "What can I do for the two of you?" he asked with a twinkle in his eye.


	2. Decisions

**Disclaimer:** I do not own anything other than the story line . All rights belong to J.K. Rowling

**Chapter Two: Decisions**

Harry and Hermione quickly took seats in the Headmaster's office. Harry looked at Hermione for a moment, and seeing her momentary nod of assent, he decided to be the spokesman for the pair, for the moment at least.

"Professor," he began, "as you suggested I have been informing both Ron and Hermione of our progress. You were right, I did need someone else to communicate with. It was… too much otherwise."

"I quite agree with your assessment, Harry," Dumbledore replied with another twinkle.

Harry blanched momentarily at the thought of what he was going to admit to in a moment. A quick squeeze of his hand did much to shore up his courage however. He smiled quickly in Hermione's direction.

"Well, sir, Hermione and I have been having a rather running debate over the course of the term. It finally came to a head tonight. We agreed to come to a resolution, and I think that we have." He gulped for a moment. "I, erm, well, I mean we would like a clarification on something."

"I can I shall, Harry. Please, do continue." Dumbledore seemed to be enjoying this rather too much.

"Sir, firstly, concerning the prophesy. When the statement of 'and he shall have power the Dark Lord knows not' comes up, are you sure that the power the Dark Lord knows not is love?" There, he had gotten it out.

"Quite," replied Dumbledore contritely. "As you know from our studies Harry, Voldemort was raised in an eerily similar circumstance to you yourself. He never knew love, and never wanted it. It is in this that you differ from Voldemort. Whilst he thrived on hatred and loathing, you my dear boy are the exact opposite. You are quite literally brimming over in your love for others." He nodded slightly in Hermione's direction. He was rewarded with the slight reddening of her cheeks.

"Yes sir," Harry pressed on. "You see, tonight, Hermione and I came to a realization. I, erm… kinda showed her how I felt about her in no uncertain terms." He smiled at Hermione with that crooked grin of his. She felt her heart melt afresh, and if she wasn't already sitting she would have gone weak in the knees.

"I take it that Miss Granger indeed returns your affections?"

"Yes sir," said Harry with a brightening of his cheeks. "Sir, I know that the war is going on, and that we're still in school, but something clicked tonight with us. If love is indeed the power that I have and Voldemort doesn't, then we need to exploit that, right?"

"Yes, Harry, I would say that your statement holds true," the Headmaster replied.

"Sir, Hermione and I want to get married," Harry blurted out.

"Well, congratulations Harry, Miss Granger," the older man said with the ever present twinkle.

"Sir," Hermione interjected for the first time. "I don't know if you understand."

"And just what don't I understand, Miss Granger," Dumbledore asked.

"Harry and I want to get married, now," she replied.

"Oh…"

"Yes sir, I mean, why wait?" Harry put in. "I know that there are things to be said for waiting and all, but in our circumstances, well…"

"We don't want to waste any more time Headmaster," Hermione finished for him. "Let's be honest. If, according to the prophesy, Harry is to either kill Voldemort or be killed by him, if we wait then it may never happen. I'm sorry Harry, but it's true," she said as she saw the look on Harry's face. "I just realized that Harry loves me, and I can have a possibility of a future with him. I don't want to jeopardize that future because we didn't take the chance to make it happen.

"His parents died in this war, and I don't want him to die alone, if that is what is to be his fate. I want him to know how much I love him. I want him to know that I believe in him. I want him to know that his name and line shall go on…" She blushed heartily at that, but held her head high.

"However," she continued quickly, "if by my loving him I can give him the strength to succeed, then I shall. I want to have a life with him, Professor. I want to have a home with him, a family with him. I want those things more than I want anything else. Can you understand?"

"Young lady, I assure you that I can, though I never had that myself." He turned to Harry. "I take it you have been formulating a plan as we have been sitting here speaking?"

"Yes sir," Harry responded with a smile. "We need to go to Gringott's, and then to Hermione's parents. If we are to do this, to elope, well, then I want her parents there to see their only child marry. Then I have a couple of ideas, but it depends upon the answers that I get from you to my next two questions." The Headmaster raised an eyebrow at him; a silent indicator to continue.

"Firstly, do you still believe that Voldemort is practicing occlumency in regards to me?" The Headmaster nodded. "Good. Secondly, would you classify Voldemort as a necromancer?"

Dumbledore sat back in his chair for a moment, his fingers steepled in front of him. He appeared to be deep in thought. Then suddenly he relaxed and smiled at Harry. "No my boy, I would classify him as a practitioner of the dark arts who dabbles in some necromantic applications, most notably his use of horcruxes and inferi."

"That's what I thought." Harry cocked his head to the side, judging how to phrase this. "Do you know any really powerful necromancers?"

A shocked gasp from Hermione was followed by a loud chuckle from the Headmaster. Brushing aside the affronted look from Hermione with a gesture, Dumbledore nodded that he did indeed know of such an individual. "It might take a short while to arrange for him to get here, but I'm sure that it can be done. I take it you would like me to expedite this?"

"Yes sir, I think that it's very important. I'll explain more later, but for the moment, I for one am very tired and it is already quite early in the morning. I would like to adjourn this meeting and pick it up in the afternoon, after we have all gotten some much needed sleep. Since it is Saturday, and we need to get everything done as quickly as possible I have two more requests, and then I shall take my fiancé back to Gryffindor tower, snog her senseless, and then get to bed."

Dumbledore chuckled once more. "Just two requests, Mr. Potter? Very well, what might I be of assistance with?

"Could you arrange for Professor McGonagall and yourself to accompany us to the Granger, there to help with explanations and to stand as witnesses for us? Also, can you arrange for alternative housing for us when we return? I shall not sleep apart from my wife, even for Hogwarts, and I don't wish to shock my roommates by having my wife in my dormitory bed."

Dumbldore's guffaws were loud indeed. "Yes, Mr. Potter, I do believe that we can accommodate your requests. Do have a good sleep. Shall we meet here at say, half three this afternoon?"

Harry looked at Hermione for confirmation, and then turned to Dumbledore. "Yes Headmaster, that would be quite acceptable." He grabbed Hermione's hand and they left the chuckling professor in his office.

As they were returning to the tower Harry stopped in the seventh floor corridor and paced back and forth three times. The door to the room of requirement opened and he dragged Hermione inside.

"Harry, what are you doing?" she asked and then skidded to a stop when she saw the interior of the room. It looked very similar to a blend of the Gryffindor common room and a dormitory room. There was a rather large bed in front of a fireplace. The fire was crackling, casting shadows around the room. There was a doorway that evidently lead to the loo to the right, and laid out on the bed was one set of pajamas.

Harry laughed softly when he saw the look on his intended's face. "Hermione, I just didn't want to be away from you tonight. Is that alright?" Seeing her shocked nod he continued. "If you would like I can conjure a second set of pajamas."

With a smirk Hermione shook her head. "No Harry, I think we can manage just fine with this. I'll take the top, you take the bottoms. I hope you don't mind, but…"

"Hermione, I just want to sleep tonight. I just don't want to sleep alone. I want your honor intact when we marry later. Let no-one say that I married you for other reasons than love. Make no mistake Hermione, I do love you."

"I know you do Harry, you made that very clear earlier. I love you too." With that she picked up the pajama top and walked slowly, and rather seductively if truth were to be told, into the loo. Before she closed the door, she motioned for Harry to get undressed and ready for bed.

A few minutes later she came slowly out of the bathroom. Harry was momentarily stunned. He knew how much he loved her, and how beautiful he thought that she was, but he had never seen her like this. The pajama top came to a point about midway down her thighs. Her legs were long and fit like a dancer's. She had her clothes in her hands, and her bra and knickers were on top. Harry felt a bead of sweat run down his brow.

She stood there, chewing her bottom lip, a look of concern upon her face. "Do I look alright?"

Harry rapidly closed the gap between them. He captured her lips in his and wrapped her in his arms. The evidence of how she looked pressed firmly into her abdomen. Hermione couldn't help a little giggle that escaped her as she felt this. She had made Harry aroused, her, bookworm Hermione Granger. It was more than she could have hoped for.

Intellectually she knew now that Harry loved her, but to have the physiological proof presented to her in no uncertain terms that he found her sexually exciting pushed all rational thought from her for a moment. Eventually however, they had to part due to lack of oxygen.

Harry looked at his Hermione, and a huge smile split his face. Her hair was disheveled, and her lips were puffy and looked to be slightly bruised. As he gazed down her body he noticed the twin evidence of her arousal as well. It seemed that they would be a very good match physically as well.

Eliciting a small shriek from her, he scooped her up and carried her over to the bed. He gently laid her upon it and climbed in next to her. After another snog session that left them both panting with need, he sat back to look at her.

"This afternoon Hermione, this afternoon…" he let out a contented sigh. He scooted down to hold her in his arms and shifted around so that he was spooned up to her back. "I love you," he whispered into her ear. She let out a matching sigh to the one he had a moment before and snuggled deeper into his embrace. It wasn't long before they both drifted off into a very contented sleep.

**Author's Note: **I have been working on this for a few days now. Actually I couldn't sleep the last few nights as my mind kept working out the story line for the next few chapters. I thank all who have reviewed and all those who have subscribed to this story for alerts. Thank you all.

I would like to reccomend a story for readers to consider. "The Grass is Always Greener by kb0. It is a Harry/Daphne fic in which the other characters stay likeable, and was originally a four chapter fic, but has been since expanded to eight chapters. It is one of the better fics that I have read and I am adding it to my favorites. Enjoy.


	3. Family

**Disclaimer:** I do not own anything other than the story line . All rights belong to J.K. Rowling

**Chapter Three: Family**

It was almost ten in the morning when the four of them approached the entrance to Gringott's bank. Harry was looking forward to the day when everything he did wasn't in the looking glass, but he couldn't help but smile when he glanced down at his bride-to-be. She had wrapped her arm around his, and was leaning on him as they walked, her head on his shoulder. For Harry, who had never really known love before, this was an exhilarating feeling.

They made their way up the steps and past the goblin guards. Harry nodded in acknowledgment, somewhat startling the goblins as they passed. He looked at Hermione, but she hadn't noticed. A quick look back to Professor Dumbledore showed that this little tidbit of information hadn't escaped his notice.

"Harry my boy, you have to understand that you do have a tendency to stand our society on its ear. You have no preconceived notions of how things are supposed to be, so you inadvertently thumb your nose at time honored conventions." At Harry's confusion the aged headmaster continued. "Goblins are considered by most in our world to be beneath wizards. They are therefore looked down upon by most, especially those who would deem themselves 'pure blood'."

"But Professor, they're people too," Harry protested.

"I agree with you, Harry," Dumbledore interjected before Harry could say any more. "But most do not, and you, quite frankly, could not care less." He smiled in a grandfatherly way at Harry. "Harry, you are already a very influential person in our world. You have the ability to make people stop and think about how things are supposed to be. It is a very rare talent, one that you need to develop."

Harry paused to consider this assessment of his character. It was true that many people thought that he was some sort of celebrity. While he hate the notoriety that came with his fame, he had to admit that sometimes there was a plus side to the ledger. Sometimes his fame got him what he needed to have done. His fiancé had seen to that on a few occasions.

As they entered Harry looked around and saw a familiar face. He strode purposefully over to the goblin and stopped in front of him. "Hello Griphook," he said softly. The goblin started, surprised, though Harry could not say just what it was that surprised him. Perhaps it was that Harry tended to be very light on his feet and didn't draw a lot of attention with his movements, or it might have been that Harry recognized him. It had been quite a few years.

"Mr. Potter," Griphook replied, quickly regaining his composure. "How may I be of service to you this day?"

Harry made sure that his voice was low, only carrying enough for the lone goblin to hear. "I need to visit my vault today, I have a lot of things that I need to do. I also need to add Miss Granger to my vaults, as soon as possible. I would appreciate keeping this rather quiet. I don't think that I would like certain people to know what I am up to."

"Of course Mr. Potter, Gringott's is always happy to serve a customer."

"Please, Griphook, call me Harry. That Mr. Potter stuff makes me sound so old." Griphook rocked back on his heels for a moment.

"Of course… Harry. Is there anything else that I can help you with other than what you have outlined?"

"Yes, there probably is, but maybe we shouldn't discuss it out here. Let's take care of things in a more private setting, shall we?"

The trip to the vault was as exciting as always for Harry. Hermione, who had never gone with Harry to his vault before, looked rather green. She spent the entire ride clutching Harry's arm for dear life. Harry spared a glance back at Professor McGonagall and Professor Dumbledore. They both looked like they were enjoying things immensely.

When they reached vault number six hundred eighty seven, Harry and Hermione went in to look things over. Harry started scooping galleons into his money pouch. Hermione was rather shocked. She knew from talking to Ron that Harry had quite a bit of money, but there was much more here than she thought.

"Harry, how much do you have in here?" she asked quietly.

"No idea," he replied. "Why?"

"I've never seen so much gold in my life," she stated. "Harry, you're rich."

"Yeah," he replied. "I know," he said with a smirk. "And so are you Hermione." He looked at her. "This is yours too, you know."

"No Harry, I couldn't…"

"Hermione, I love you, but you need to be quiet for a moment. I told Griphook that I was adding you to the vaults. I know that I also have access to Sirius's vault, and then unless I am mistaken, there is the Potter family vault. This is just my trust vault Hermione. This is the one that my parents set up to see me through school.

"Look, I don't like the fact that I have all this stuff. I never have. I would give it all up happily if I could have my family back. You know that. I just want to give you a little security. In a few hours this would all be legally yours anyway. So I'm signing things over a few minutes early. I. Don't. Care.

"You are what's important to me now. You are what I think of from the moment I wake to the moment I go to sleep. You fill my dreams. You need to accept it. I have, you need to. If you can't accept that, well, too bad. Get over it." He turned away, somewhat embarrassed. He didn't like to lecture her, but he knew that one way to get her attention was to prove that you either knew exactly what you were talking about or to be very, very passionate about it.

"I'm sorry, Harry," she said softly. He stepped over and pulled her into a soft hug. Deciding that he was finished, he motioned for them to leave.

Once all of their business was taken care of at Gringott's, the two professors side-along apparated the two students to a point in the Granger's back garden. Hermione had never actually experienced full-on apparition yet, and the experience left her gasping for breath. She kept muttering over and over: "Destination, determination, deliberation." Harry couldn't repress his grin as he heard her doing this.

It didn't take her long to realize where they were, however. She let out a small squeal of excitement and grabbed Harry's hand. As she was dragging him towards the house all the color drained from Harry's face. For all that he loved her, and he did love her, so very much; he was a sixteen year old boy about to meet the father of the girl that he intended to marry.

Not only did he intend to marry her, but he was to marry her that day! To say that Harry had a small panic attack was like saying that Voldemort was a shady character. Harry's heart felt like it was going to beat out of his chest. He knew that what he and Hermione were going to do was right. He knew it on a level that went beyond simple knowledge. That didn't make this part of it any easier though.

Hermione opened the door and led Harry and the professors into the kitchen. "Daddy? Mum? Are you here? It's Hermione! I've brought company!" There was a scrabbling of feet and soon enough Hermione's parents came into view. They were both quite tall, which rather surprised Harry, for Hermione was only about a hundred and sixty seven centimeters tall. Her mother was at least a full ten centimeters taller, while her father was at least thirteen to fourteen centimeters beyond that.

Mrs. Granger had dark brown hair that was just as bushy as her daughter's. She looked to be in her early forties, and was a pretty woman. Her bright green eyes lit up when she saw her daughter. "Hermione!" she squealed, sounding much like her daughter. She enveloped Hermione in a hug very much reminiscent of her daughter's.

Mr. Granger was slightly older than his wife, with short brown hair, and a rather large nose. There was unmistakable intelligence in his gaze though. He smiled brightly as he took in the scene played out in front of him. "Hello Professor Dumbledore, Professor McGonagall," he said with a smile for both of them. "Oh, and you must be Harry. You've grown up since the last time we saw you, young man."

"Yes sir," Harry replied. Despite the fact that Harry was much younger, he felt that Mr. Granger could probably kill him with his bare hands. He was much larger than Harry. "It's good to see you again, sir."

Mrs. Granger had Hermione at arm's length now, looking her over. "Hermione, luv, you're positively glowing! What's going on? Why are you here?" Her mother was proving just how much like her daughter she was. Her inquisitiveness was so like Hermione's.

"Mum, Daddy, perhaps we should go into the sitting room. There's so much that we have to tell you." Hermione shivered in anticipation, and Harry noticed that it didn't escape her father's attention. He cast a curious glance at Harry and the two adults.

Harry shrugged as Hermione grabbed his hand and dragged him through the doorway and down the hall. From what Harry could see, the Grangers were very well off. They certainly didn't lack for anything, though Harry supposed that it was due to the fact that they were both successful dentists. He had no idea how much a dentist made, but he imagined that it must be a lot from what the house looked like.

Hermione dragged Harry over to a love seat and sat him down, snuggling in next to him. He tried to relax, he really did, but it was so hard. This was Hermione's Mum and Dad after all. He sat rather straighter than he had intended, but he decided that it wasn't necessarily a bad thing. He noticed that Professor Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall had sat on a couch nearby. Hermione's parents settled into what were evidently their own personal chairs.

"So Kitten," Mr. Granger started, "what was so important that you had to come all the way down from that school of yours in Scotland to see us?"

"Perhaps I can help to shed some light on the situation," Dumbledore interjected, sparing Harry and Hermione from having to start things. "As you are probably aware of, Hermione and Harry are two of the top students in their year. Hermione holds the top spot, while Harry is not that far behind her. As such they, along with their good friend Ronald Weasley have had rather more leeway when it has come to many of the rules at Hogwarts."

Hermione's father gave them a sideways glance, his face an inscrutable mask, and then motioned for Dumbledore to proceed.

"They, of course have had many exciting adventures throughout the halls of our fair school, and even beyond at times. They have each received awards for special services to the school, and have helped their house to win the internal competition five years in a row."

Hermione's parents beamed at this praise. Dumbledore continued on. "Harry, sadly, has had many tragic events in his life, from the loss of his parents during his infancy, witnessing the death of a new-found friend, injuries, and the recent loss of his godfather. Through all of this Hermione has been his steadfast companion for the last five and a half years. Even when Ron Weasley's faith in Harry has waned, Hermione has been there for him."

Mrs. Granger had a question. "Where is this leading?" she asked. "I mean, it's all well and good that they have been such good friends, but what are you leading up to?"

"It is important that you understand just a little more. I beg your indulgence as I weave this thrilling tale," Dumbledore replied, the twinkle in his eyes threatening everyone with temporary blindness. "Harry has had to face what is perhaps the most terrible dark wizard in the history of our world five times now. He has survived each and every time, often humiliating the self-proclaimed 'Dark Lord'. Harry and Tom Riddle, or Voldemort as he renamed himself are fated to meet again and again until one is vanquished."

Professor McGonagall let out a quick gasp. Harry hung his head, afraid to look anyone in the eye at this point. He didn't know just what Professor Dumbledore was playing at, but he had to trust his mentor at this point. He had no choice really.

"Albus, surely not!" exclaimed McGonagall.

"I'm afraid so Minerva," Dumbledore replied. "In fact, there is a prophesy that has foretold it. It is for this reason that Harry, Hermione, and four other students went to the Ministry of Magic last year." He looked at the Grangers. "The prophesy also tell of what Harry needs more than anything else to succeed in his quest. It is something that Harry, despite of all that he has endured, has in abundance. In short, that is the power of love. It has always been Harry's ability to love and be loved that has seen him through every encounter with Voldemort."

"And just what does this have to do with our daughter?" Mr. Granger asked, his voice edged with a dangerous tone. Harry cringed slightly at the sound.

"Yesterday, Harry and Hermione came to my office with a rather unusual request." He motioned to the two sitting on the love seat.

"Mum, Daddy, Harry and I are going to elope… today…"

"ABSOLUTELY NOT!" thundered Mr. Granger.

"ROBERT!" yelled Mrs. Granger.

"DADDY! You can't…"

"Hermione," said Harry in a soft voice. It cut through the tension like a knife, bringing all eyes to him. He hadn't raised his voice at all, but there was a power, a resonance that brought everyone to a complete halt. "Please Hermione, let me explain to your parents. I owe them that. Bloody hell, I owe you that and so much more…"

He brushed his hand through his hair, and sucked in a quick breath, then let it out in a sigh. He looked from Mr. Granger to Mrs. Granger and then back again. "Before I knew anything about Voldemort, before I had any idea of the danger that he would pose in my life, Hermione befriended me. She has been there throughout everything. She's saved my life more times than I can count.

"The unfortunate aspect of this is that it has placed her squarely in the sights of Voldemort and his followers. She is one of their primary targets, probably number two on the list, right behind me. We never planned on this, it just is. I cannot change it, though if I thought that by giving my life I could make her safe, I would do so in a heartbeat.

"She's the reason that I can get up in the morning. She's the reason that I can keep drawing a breath. She is the light of my world, the hope in my heart. I know that I don't look it, but I'm one of the more well off wizards in England. Hermione has full access to my vaults, and in a short while she will never want for anything financially again in her life. It's the least that I can do.

"I vow here and now that I shall do everything in my power to see her safely through this war between Voldemort and me. I have tried to push her away, to keep her safe, but she's pointed out, she's not safe, even with me out of the picture. The only way that I can keep her safe is to be with her all the way, doing my all to protect her. I am not without resources. All of them are hereby put to the dual task of ending the threat of Voldemort and keeping my dearest Hermione safe."

He paused for a moment. "I don't know any way of putting it any clearer. I love her with every fiber of my being. I don't have a clue as to why she chose me, but now that she has, I am devoting everything to providing her with a life free of fear and full of hope, the same hope that she gives me. I never used to see a future for myself beyond Voldemort. Now, thanks to her, I can. I've never had that before. With her, I can win this war. With her, I will."

Professor McGonagall looked at the Grangers. "I have never, in all my years, seen a love like the two of them have for each other. Each is totally and completely devoted to the other. I never thought that I would ever endorse a marriage to two so young, but I see no other choice. Hermione is legally an adult in our world, and Harry was emancipated when his godfather died, though I suspect he never realized that fact."

Harry was looking rather gob smacked at the moment. He was emancipated. He looked at Professor Dumbledore, who simply returned his gaze with the ever present twinkle. He was an adult. It scared and thrilled him all at once.

Robert Granger looked from Harry to Hermione. "Kitten, how do you feel about all this?"

"Daddy, I've love Harry since our second year. I just never realized that he loved me back. I was always content to be his friend, because who would love me except for you and Mum? I knew that I would accept whatever Harry could give me, for he didn't even know what love was, growing up with those horrid relatives of his. Once I found out that he returned my feelings, well, it was easy and right. I don't want to wait. Harry needs my love to succeed, and I shan't wait for the timing to be better. He needs me now, and I'm going to be there for him."

Mr. Granger looked at his wife. "Jean?"

"Harry," she said with a stern look. Harry gulped.

"Yes, Mrs. Granger?" he said shakily.

"Call me Jean… welcome to the family!"

Author's Note: Based upon the heights listed for both Emma Watson and Daniel Radcliffe they are both 5'6" tall. That puts them at 167cm. Looking at a picture of Hermione's parents on the Harry Potter Wiki, you can see that Mr. Granger is about 2" taller than Mr. Weasley, who is 6'1". This puts him at about 6'3" tall, or 191cm. From the picture I am estimating Mrs. Granger at 5'10" tall which puts her at 177cm. Given that fact that they are in England, I decided that Harry would think in the European fashion on this.


	4. Wedding Bells

**Disclaimer:** I do not own anything other than the story line . All rights belong to J.K. Rowling

**Chapter Four: Wedding Bells**

To say that Harry was feeling a little nervous was an understatement. He was getting married shortly, and his soon to be father-in-law decided at that moment that he wanted to have a 'brief chat' with Harry.

Thus Harry found himself being herded rather unceremoniously into Robert Granger's private study. As the older man closed the door, Harry was once again struck by just how much bigger he was than Harry. Harry decided that discretion was the better part of valor, and quietly found a convenient chair to plant himself into.

Robert Granger turned around and looked for his soon to be son-in-law. He found him sitting in one of the two easy chairs, so he settled into the other one. He looked over at Harry with a slight grimace on his face. He had hoped that he would have a few more years before his daughter brought home a young man who had stolen her heart away from him. Sadly, not only had Harry stolen her heart, but he was marrying her this very day!

It wasn't that he didn't like the young man sitting in front of him, on the contrary, Harry was a very likable young man. It was plainly evident to anyone that had two eyes that he worshiped the very ground that Hermione walked upon. Robert Granger was immensely happy that his daughter had found just that sort of man. No, Robert Granger was more upset over the circumstances that he found himself in this day.

There was absolutely no way that he was going to break his daughter's heart. He would stand up with her and give her away, as a proper father should, but before that moment came there was some rather pressing business that he was also obligated to take care of. So with that in mind, he determined to do just that.

"Harry," he began. The young man's head jerked up and he found himself looking Harry in the eyes. There was a definite strength there. Harry certainly had courage, Robert had to grant him that; though if the stories were accurate, the young man in front of him had faced more than one Robert Granger could ever throw at him. He truly had the heart of a lion.

"Look Harry, I'm going to be plain. I don't really know any other way to approach this, so I'm just going to come out with it, alright?" Harry nodded his head. "Have you been intimate with my daughter?"

Whatever it was that Robert Granger had expected to see in Harry's eyes, what he saw most plainly was not it. Fear, shock, calculating coldness, all of those things would not have surprised him. He had seen a lot in his forty-four years. What he saw instead was naked disbelief.

"Sir!" said Harry coming up out of his seat. "I would never, ever presume to do anything to Hermione before…" It was obvious that he couldn't even bring himself to consider the possibility of that happening. Robert Granger's estimation of one Harry Potter rose considerably in those few seconds.

"It's alright, Harry, calm down," he reassured the young man. "I believe you. God help me, I do believe you." He chuckled softly, but then the small grin faded. "Harry, has anyone given you the talk?"

Harry stared at Mr. Granger incredulously. Was he referring to what Harry thought he was referring to? Was Hermione's father actually going to talk to him about that? About her? All the color drained from Harry's face.

Robert Granger let out a sigh. What had he done that was so bad? Who had he angered in a former life? He was going to have to give Harry 'The Talk', about his own daughter. How did he get stuck with this?

"Harry, this is your wedding day. After you get married to my little girl, she is going to have certain expectations, and it is going to be up to you to provide what she desires…" Judging from the way Harry had just turned candy apple red, and the way his own cheeks felt hot, he could tell this was going to be a very uncomfortable few minutes…

*0*0*

Hermione sat in her room, smoothing out her mother's old wedding dress. Taking out her wand, she cleaned it up, and then set about with some last minute alterations. After all, her mother was quite a good deal taller than she was. Hermione, however was a witch, and as Hagrid would put it, a thumpin' good one.

Thus, it was a few minutes later that Jean Granger entered her daughter's room to find her in a stunning wedding gown that looked vaguely familiar. Mrs. Granger walked over to the bed and sat down. She patted the mattress next to her to indicate to her daughter to sit down with her.

As Hermione did so, Jean decided that she needed to get some information. "So, tell me about Harry," she started.

"Oh Mum, where do I start?" Hermione replied.

"Well, we've read all the letters that you sent home, and every one of them had something about Harry in it, so truth be told it doesn't come as a surprise that you would fall for each other. What I want to know is what the real Harry is like."

"Mum, he's the only one that looks past my bushy hair, past my bookish ways, and sees the person that's inside of me. I just never thought that he could fancy someone like me."

"Why would you think that? I mean, it's obvious that Harry is completely devoted to you. Why wouldn't you think that he could care for you?"

"Mum!" Hermione said in an exasperated voice. "He's Harry Potter. He could have anyone that he wanted. He's the most famous person in our world. What would he want with a Plain Jane like me?"

At her mother's patient expression she elaborated. "Harry's only dated a couple of times, but you should see them. His first girlfriend was Cho Chang. She's an exotic beauty. Long, silky black hair, an athletic figure, beautiful face, absolutely exquisite.

"Then this year he took Luna Lovegood to Professor Slughorn's party. She doesn't realize it, probably because she's always distracted by something bizarre, but she's an alabaster beauty." Hermione let out a sigh.

"This year he's been kind of obsessed with Ginny Weasley. She's Ron's little sister. She's got this luxurious red hair, and she's so pretty. Add in that she's been in love with Harry like forever." She looked up at her mother. "How can I compete with beauties like those?"

"And yet, you are the one in the wedding dress. Harry didn't pick any of those that you mentioned. Are there any other girls that you feel threatened by?"

"Well, Harry has always made a point of watching Padma Patil whenever she's around." She paused for a moment. "Funny though, he's never really paid much attention to her sister, Parvati, though he did take her to the Yule Ball. That was a last minute, desperation thing though. He had to have a date, being a school champion."

"So let's see, Harry has had only a few girls catch his eye." Jean began counting them off on her fingers. "There was Cho, and then Luna. You mentioned that he likes to watch Ginny and Padma. And, he took Padma's sister Parvati to the Yule ball. Did I miss anything?"

"Only what I haven't told you. Parvati and Padma are twins."

"Yet you told me that except for that one time, when Harry was desperate for a date, he basically ignores Parvati. So what is different between the two of them?"

"Well, Padma isn't in our house, she's in Ravenclaw. Parvati is a bit of an airhead though…"

"Ah, now we're getting somewhere. So what do Cho, Luna, Ginny, Padma and you have in common?"

"Well, Cho, Luna and Padma are all in Ravenclaw. Ginny's in Gryffindor like me…"

"But you told us that the sorting hat seriously considered placing you in Ravenclaw; why?"

"Because I'm really smart, and Ravenclaw values intelligence…"

"So we've established that Cho, Luna and Padma are all quite smart. What about Ginny?"

"Well, she is really quite brilliant. She pretty much lost most of her first year because of a plot from a very evil family, not her own," Hermione hastily added. "She had to make up a lot of it, and she did very well. Plus, she had to deal with all her brothers, and the twins are brilliant pranksters."

"So when we throw you in the mix, I think we can safely say what type of girl Harry is attracted to, especially if you take into account the twins that you talked about. They are identical, correct?"

"Physically, yes."

"Well then, there you have it. Harry is attracted to smart girls. He likes to have someone that makes him think. He's obviously not intimidated by your intelligence. On the contrary, I bet that he finds it quite a turn-on."

"Mother!"

"Hermione, get a grip. Harry's a teenaged boy. It's a proven fact that boys his age think of sex on the average of once every seventeen seconds. He's probably thinking of doing wicked things to you right now…"

Hermione's face lit up in a blush that would have matched the infamous Weasley hair.

"Hermione, your father and I love you. You're our little girl. Tonight you are going to be a married woman. We have already discussed the mechanics of human sexuality in great detail. I only have one other thing to add before we go out into the garden and get you married. You both are very young. Take time to be together, to let your relationship grow before you throw children in the mix. Take precautions to make sure that you only become pregnant when the both of you are ready to have a family. Your father and I do want to become grandparents, just not right now."

"Don't worry Mother, Harry and I have too much going on to think about children. After we accomplish what must be done, then we can have a family. For now, I have to focus on keeping him alive long enough to have a family." She chewed nervously on her lip. Looking up at her mother, she found she was having a hard time with her vision. It seemed to be really blurred at the moment. Her mother enveloped her in a tight hug.

"I'm really scared Mum," she whispered. "Harry's got to face _him _again, and one of them has to die. Harry and Professor Dumbledore feel that Harry's ability to love despite what he's been through is powerful enough to give him the advantage, but Voldemort has so many years of experience. What if Voldemort kills Harry?"

"Then we shall deal with the consequences of you being a young widow if and when the time comes. In the meantime, we shall do everything that we can to insure that Harry survives this encounter. If, as you assert, Harry's biggest power is love, adding your love to it must be a good thing. You both love each other, Hermione. Love shared grows not by addition, but exponentially. You know this. Let it happen. Be there with him and for him. He will love you all the more for your devotion."

"Thanks Mum, I needed this," Hermione said softly.

"I'm glad I could help, Hermione. Now, I believe there are a couple of men waiting for us.

Hermione and Jean made their way out to the back garden. Hermione gasped when she saw it. It had been redecorated, transformed into a beautiful setting for a wedding. There was an open gazebo, decorated in ribbon and lace. Faeries flitted back and forth throughout the garden, giving the whole thing an other-worldly feel.

Professor Dumbledore met them as they entered the garden. "Hermione, I hope you don't mind, but I invited Remus Lupin and Nymphadora Tonks to join us. We needed a couple of magical witnesses, and they have agreed to stand up with the two of you today."

"That's quite acceptable, Professor," Hermione replied. She looked over and saw Harry and her father deep in conversation with the only real adult male influence Harry had left in his life. They were sharing a laugh, and then Lupin reached over and took Harry up into a great bear hug, lifting him off the ground.

The next thing Hermione knew she was being engulfed in a squealing hug from a young auror. "Tonks!" Hermione let out in a squeal of her own. "Oh, I'm so glad you're here. I had wondered where you were when the Headmaster said that he had a couple of Magical witnesses."

"I couldn't miss this, Hermione," Tonks said in a low voice. "I've been pulling for you for the last couple of years." When Hermione's eyes widened the older witch just scoffed. "I've seen how he looks at you. If ever there was someone that was in love, it's Harry Bloody Potter. He's had it bad for you for as long as I've known him."

"Surely you're exaggerating, Tonks," Hermione replied.

"Nope," Tonks said simply. Hermione gave her a sharp glance. Tonks threw her arms up in defeat. "You're gonna make me tell, aren't you?" Both Hermione and her mother stared at her.

"Alright, alright… Look, last summer I tried to cheer Harry up, if you know what I mean…" She gave the younger witch a pleading look.

"Tonks!" Hermione exclaimed looking scandalized.

"What? Look at him Hermione. The bloke's bloody beautiful." She let out a soft sigh. "He was so angry two summers ago, and I was lonely. I went to him and offered him a little something. He flat out refused me. Said it wasn't right. I guess I got a little persistent…" Hermione glared at her. "Alright, I morphed, told him that I could be whatever he wanted. I thought he'd at least be pining for Ginny, I mean she is a right looker. He didn't even bat an eyelash. So I did it again…"

"You didn't…"

"Yeah, I morphed into you. The sodding bloke turned about sixteen different shades of red and legged it out of there. I mean it's not as if I'd gone and bonked him or anything. Cor' blimey, I didn't even wank in front of him. Bet he'd have liked that though…"

"Tonks!"

"Relax Hermione, I'm just having you on. He did leg it though…" She broke up in peels of laughter. Hermione just glared at her for a moment before she couldn't hold it anymore and started to giggle herself. It _was_ kind of funny…

And then it was time for everyone to take their places. Hermione joined Harry at the gazebo. He gifted her with one of his trade-marked grins. Hermione felt her knees weaken when he did so.

It was then that the Headmaster decided to speak up. "Thank you all for being here today. It has been the pleasure of all who have held my place as Headmaster at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry to be able to occasionally bring together two of our students who wish to devote their lives to each other.

"Today, Harry and Hermione have decided that there is no-one in the world who means more to them than the other. They have made the decision to bind themselves to each other in a wizarding marriage. It is my great pleasure to facilitate this bonding at this time." He looked around. "Who stands for this witch that she may bind herself to this wizard?" Hermione's father stepped forward.

"Her mother and I do, Headmaster."

"Very good. And who stands for this wizard that he might bind himself to this witch?" Professor McGonagall stepped up.

"As the head of his house, I do," she said.

"Harry and Hermione have asked to state their own pledges to each other at this time." He nodded to Harry.

"For six years you have constantly been by my side. You have been constant in your devotion to me, even when we have disagreed. You have been at times my best friend, my companion, my conscience, my tutor, my sense of reason, and the love of my life, even if I was too thick to see it. Now that I have finally recognized all that you mean to me, I, Harry James Potter do now, upon my magic and my life, pledge myself to you always and forever, in this life and the next. I shall be with you always, in body, mind and spirit. I adore you, I love you and I worship you. I take you now as my lover, my mate and my wife. I love you with every fiber of my being, Hermione."

Hermione caught her breath and looked at the young man in front of her. "You saved my life when I was but twelve years old in a selfless act of bravery and sacrifice. You barely knew me then, but you tackled a beast five times your size that I might live. I've never forgotten what you did for me that night. You have never abandoned me nor forsaken me, even when I know that you have been exasperated with me. I have nagged you and cajoled you throughout the last six years, and yet you have never been harsh with me. You have never hurt me as others have, always placing my well being and happiness above your own. Even though you have never known how to love, you have shown me, a simple bookworm, more love than I have ever though possible each and every day. Thank you for forcing me to see what was right in front of me, for making me realize how much I love you. I pledge myself, Hermione Jean Granger, upon my magic and my life to you for forever and a day. You are my reason for being, my love and my life. You are the air that I breath and the food that I need to survive. I am yours heart, body and soul. I love you Harry James Potter, always and forever."

Professor Dumbledore took over. "If the two of you would please touch wand tips?" The two did so, and the Headmaster touched his wand to theirs. "We have witnessed the vows made by these two lovers this day. I hereby proclaim them husband and wife, now and always, into eternity…"

There was flash of magical light, encompassing the pair. As the light faded the pair leaned forwards and shared a soft, loving kiss. Just as they were drawing back Harry grabbed his forehead and dropped to his knees with a harsh groan.

"He knows…" he gasped out. As he struggled to his feet there were a series of apparition pops as Death Eaters appeared throughout the garden!

"_Confringo_!" Harry shouted as he thrust his wand at the nearest Death Eater. The Death Eater, who was rather corpulent, looked at Harry in surprise as his rather rotund belly exploded in a burst of heat and light. He dropped like a stone falling from a building.

Hexes and curses were flying by this point. Hermione dragged a still reeling Harry behind the gazebo. Making sure he was alright, she popped up momentarily to target a masked Death Eater. "_Defodio_!" she yelled as a jet of yellow light sprang from her wand. The Death Eater, who had been targeting her mother, fell backwards as great furrows were gouged across his chest and arms.

Jean Granger ducked under a jet of light that came at her and then closed the distance between herself and one of the intruders that had suddenly appeared. The guttural laugh that greeted her from behind the Death Eater's mask was suddenly cut off as her foot flashed into the robed figure's abdomen. As the Death Eater doubled over she met his head as her other foot came up in a second front snap kick. There was a sickening crunch as the mask went in one direction, and the Death Eater's head snapped backwards, separating vertebrae in the villain's neck as fragments of his nose splintered through his own brain.

She dropped to the ground to avoid another spell, and looked to see how her husband was fairing. As she did, she rolled on the ground and took out the legs of a Death Eater who was rather preoccupied with trying vainly to remove the five inch blade from his neck that Robert Granger had deposited there with a flick of his wrist.

Moments later a couple more Death Eaters shrieked out their death cries as a pair of lawn chairs transfigured into lions pounced and ripped out their spines.

Harsh shrieks filled the air momentarily, though they were cut off as another sound, the sound of a skull cracking replaced it. All eyes turned involuntarily towards to the sound to see an enraged Remus Lupin, his hands covered in a mixed up mess of black hair, splintered bone and pulverized gray matter standing over the body of what had at one time probably been a very pretty woman. Lupin's face was a contorted mask of rage and hatred, and he kicked the body a couple of times for good measure. He was bleeding from a wound on his side, but he didn't seem to notice.

There didn't seem to be any more Death Eaters available to focus on, so Harry quickly made his way out of his place of relative cover and rushed to his father's dear friend's side. "Moony, you can stop! It's alright! Stop!" Meanwhile, Hermione had made her way over to the fallen form of a witch that she knew so well.

Lying there, curled into a fetal position and twitching every so slightly was Tonks! Hermione thanked God and Merlin that she was alive! She appeared to be suffering the after affects of exposure to the cruciatus curse, but she was alive!

By this point Harry had managed to calm down the enraged werewolf. Remus looked at Harry for a moment and then broke out in a feral grin. He motioned for Harry to look down at the dead woman on the ground. In one fell swoop, Remus Lupin had gained a measure of revenge and closure for himself, Harry and Tonks. He had killed Bellatrix Lestrange!

Professor Dumbledore had appeared at Harry's side by this time. As he laid a hand on Harry's shoulder, his phoenix, Fawkes, appeared and Dumbledore whispered to him. The phoenix hopped down onto Tonks' form and in a flash of light they were gone. Harry looked up questioningly at the Professor.

"St. Mungo's, Harry," the Headmaster replied to the unasked question. Harry nodded his approval. "Now, I must summon the aurors Harry. Once we have answered all their questions I suggest that we do a few things. We should return to Hogwarts for a short time, where I would like all of us involved to be examined by Madame Pomfrey, and then we can figure out where your in-laws can go into hiding for a time. I do believe that it shall not be safe here for a while, as Voldemort is sure to be upset when he finds that he has lost Bellatrix."

He smiled down at Harry for a moment. "Then, I believe that you and your young bride should inform your closest friends of the change in your relationship. I feel that they have earned the right to know. Then I believe it is customary for the bride and groom to have a honeymoon." At the gobsmacked look on Harry's face he grinned, and his characteristic twinkle was back in his eyes. "I must find the time to register your marriage as well. As this will make you legally an adult in the wizarding world, you shall at that time of course come into your inheritance." He chuckled as Harry's jaw literally dropped.

*0*0*

The whole group was ensconced in the Hogwarts hospital wing, and Madame Pomfrey was busy fretting over Lupin's wounds. While this was going on Hermione was busy confronting her parents.

"Alright you two," she said in a huffy voice. "Where did you two learn to do what you did today?"

Jean Granger smirked at her daughter. "You're not the only one who has had to keep secrets you know," she said in a low tone. She looked at her husband who shrugged. "You must not tell anyone, either of you," she added as she glanced at Harry. As her daughter and son-in-law both nodded she sighed.

"Your father used to be in the navy, Hermione. He was SBS: Special Boat Services. When he finished with his tour of duty, I was his recruiter…"

"Mum, what are you talking about?"

Her mother and father both pulled out small insignia holders. They opened them together to reveal matching badges. On each badge was a stylized griffin surrounded by pentacles, stars and portcullis, with a crown atop the uppermost portcullis. Under this were the words '_Regnum Defende_'. Hermione's eyes went wide.

"Defend the realm?" Harry asked. He, as all Hogwarts students did, knew a lot of latin.

"They're MI5, Harry," Hermione whispered. This time it was Harry's eyes that went wide. Even he had heard of _them_.

"Look, can we discuss this later?" Jean hissed. Both teens nodded. The Grangers quickly put away their badges.

Well it was that they finished then, for the Headmaster walked in with Ron, Neville, Ginny and Luna in tow. The teens rushed to Harry and Hermione's sides.

After a few quick hugs and assurances that they were indeed alright, Harry decided that it was time to break the news as the Headmaster departed. "Ron, Ginny, Neville, Luna, may I introduce Robert and Jean Granger, Hermione's parents and my in-laws," he said softly.

"Pleased to meet you… wait, what?" Ron said as he stopped in mid stretch to wheel on Harry. "What the fuck did you just say?" His eyes flashed dangerously.

"You heard me, Ron," Harry replied, his tone as cold as ice.

"Excuse me Harry?" interjected Ginny. "Did you mean to imply that you and Hermione are married?" The couple held up their hands to show their wedding rings. Ginny took a step back and turned her head to hide her face for a moment. She took a couple of steadying breaths before turning back to face her friends. There were tears welled in her eyes, but she shrugged off the hand that Luna placed on her shoulder. "Con… congratulations…" she managed to get out.

"You fucking bastard!!!" screamed Ron as he lunged at Harry. "You knew that I fancied her! She was supposed to be mine!" There was a loud ringing gong as wave of magic ricocheted off the walls. Ron landed on his arse about six feet away from Harry.

Ron got up and would have thrown himself at Harry again, but was instead intercepted by Neville. "Stop it Ron, you're embarrassing yourself," he said softly.

"Do not ever talk about Hermione again," said Harry in that low dangerous voice.

"Fuck you Potter!" Ron spat out. "Leave me alone, Longbottom, you fucking squib…" There were gasps coming from around the room now, as everyone had gone silent to see where this was going. He pulled his wand.

"Retroago cogito, vicis amor odi…" he never finished as Harry had pulled his wand.

"Ruptum tuus venificium!" A purplish light struck Ron square in the chest and he seemed to deflate. He crumpled to the floor.

"NO!" someone shrieked from behind the teens. Lupin came bounding up to check on Ron's condition. He flicked his wand over Ron a couple of times.

"You stupid gormless berk," he muttered. He looked at the Grangers who were looking on with confused and worried expressions. "Ron was attempting to reverse the marriage bond that Harry and Hermione had formed today. If he had been successful, then the results would have been disastrous."

It was as Lupin was explaining this that Professor Dumbledore came running back in. He had been alerted by Lupin's yell. A quick examination by both the Headmaster and Madame Pomfrey confirmed what had happened to the redheaded ex-best friend.

"Could someone please explain," asked Robert Granger softly as he attempted to console his daughter who was sobbing into Harry's shoulder.

While Madame Pomfrey levitated Ron to a bed, Dumbledore took up the explanation. "If Ron had succeeded in his spell he would have turned Harry and Hermione's love for each other into the utmost hatred. There is no counter curse for the spell once it has done its terrible deed. If the spell had hit either of them, then they would have hated each other with the same amount of passion that they currently love each other. It would have either killed both of them, or they would have turned into our next dark lord and lady."

"So what did Harry do to him?" asked a rather shaken looking Jean Granger.

"I took away his magic," Harry said softly. "It was the only thing I could think of. I've been researching different ways to defeat Voldemort."

"So my brother is a squib?" Ginny asked.

"It appears that his magical core has been destroyed. There is a slim possibility that Harry, being underage isn't powerful enough for the effect to be permanent, and Ron's core could, conceivably, regenerate itself."

"Do you think that it could be so, Professor?"

"Alas, Miss Weasley, I doubt very much that this is the case. Harry is very powerful magically, and it is rather much more probable that your brother is no longer magical."

Ginny glared at Harry, but then her gaze softened slightly. "You could have killed him, Harry," she whispered. "It would have been quicker, and much easier. You've taught us all how to do it. But you didn't do that. You spared his life, at the cost of his magic. Why?"

"I love him Gin," he said just as softly. "He's my best mate. I couldn't kill him. He acts before he thinks. He was mad, and we didn't help matters. I'm sorry."

"Don't you dare apologize for that git," Ginny said sharply. "He's lucky it was you and not one of us. He'd be dead if it was anyone else. At least I still have my brother." She started to shake uncontrollably. Neville was there to help her into a seat.

*0*0*

It was sometime later that a weary Harry and Hermione Potter, along with Hermione's parents took a portkey to a large house situated somewhere in the Welsh mountains. Professor Dumbledore had assured Harry that this house was a part of his inheritance. It apparently had been a winter house for the Potter family, and it had been held in trust for the time that Harry could legally inherit.

Harry was still shaken up over what had happened earlier that day. He had intended to apologize profusely to Ron's parents, because he knew how badly this would affect them, only to have Arthur Weasley come and beg his forgiveness for the actions of his son. He had reminded Harry of just how many times he had saved someone in the Weasley family, and as far as he was concerned he had just saved another one. It had taken quite a while for Hermione to pry a sobbing Molly Weasley out of the death-grip hug that she had enveloped Harry in.

It was this weariness that caused the pair to fall blissfully asleep in each other's arms, laid out on a bear-skin rug in front of a roaring fire, their bodies intertwined from their lovemaking a few moments before. Thankfully Dobby, who had tagged along to assist the Potters and Grangers during their stay at Potter Lodge had placed a warm blanket over the pair before Hermione's parents accidentally wandered into the room.

"Remind you of anyone?" Jean asked her husband as they sneaked out of the room.

"You think that little fellow could find us a room like that one?" Robert asked while reaching down to gently squeeze his wife's bum… Her giggles followed them down the corridor as the went in search of the diminutive house elf.

**Author's Note: **Okay, it's been a while since I updated this story. For some reason it's been a struggle to write this chapter, but I got there. This is the first time that I've delved into Ron bashing, and it was difficult for me. I don't really like doing it, but it fit the story, so there it is. It isn't the first time I've painted myself into a corner with a story...

I really enjoyed making the Grangers MI5. That was a hoot. The insignia is off the official website. More on their place on things in later chapters.

The full spell that Ron was using was using was "Retroago cogito, vicis amor odium" which roughly translates from latin to: Reverse Thought, Change Love to Hatred.

The spell that Harry used, "Ruptum tuus venificium" is roughly translated from latin to: Remove Your Magic.


End file.
